February 17, 2012

Did you have a favorite ice cream novelty as a kid? I did. We didn't have anything like an ice cream truck in the backwoods of southern VA, but if we had, I would've chased it for as many miles as my little legs would take me for an orange dreamsicle*.

*(Question: Are they called creamsicles in your neck of the woods? I've heard it both ways.)
These cupcakes stem from my fond memories of that treat made of vanilla ice cream covered in orange sherbet. I filled a lightly orange-flavored cupcake with a fluffy sweetened vanilla whipped cream and topped it with a luscious buttercream frosting beschpeckled with orange zest.

I'll be the first to admit that, while amazingly tasty, these still aren't as good as I remember those dreamsicles to be. (I suppose there's a teeny chance that my memories are skewed.) Regardless, it's just a different kind of satisfaction. The flavor is similar, the cupcakes are soft, the frosting is rich, and those things, my friends, are enough for this gal.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. To make the cupcakes, cream butter, sugar, and orange zest until pale and fluffy. With mixer running, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until combined after each.
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until testers inserted in the centers come out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.
To fill the cupcakes, first whip the cream and sugar until slightly stiff. Fold in the vanilla. Then carve out a cone-shaped hole in each cupcake and carefully spoon or squirt the whipped cream inside. Apply frosting generously to cupcakes and, after giving the components a few minutes to get friendly, feed your face.

These cupcakes look awesome! I'm using a lot of orange in my baking right now, and I think these cupcakes would be amazing. And, no matter how hard we try, I don't think anything competes with our childhood memories!

Know what I love? I'm not a huge cupcake fan, I think they are often more faff than they are worth to make,and more about looks than flavour. Yours, they are simple and beautiful and all about the flavour. Love.

As luck would have it, I'm attempting some blood orange frozen yogurt tonight. Not technically a creamsicle. But there will be orange ... and cream involved. So we (yes, me and the frozen yogurt) will be sure to give your cupcakes a shout out!

I think Dreamsicle is a brand and Creamsicle is the orange and cream flavor - or maybe both? Just a guess...I have no clue - whatever the answer that flavor combo is dreamy! I love citrus flavors in a cupcake so this wins in my book!

I"d take these in a minute! You'll been posting some incredible cupcake creations lately Grace. I need to get busy and try some of them.Orange creamsicles and orange sherbert are 2 of my childhood favorites.

We called them creamsicles and they were hands down one of my favorite bars ever. I love a good cupcake though and while ice cream trucks are currently out of season, I'll be satisfying myself with these!

That would be enough for this gal too! These sound delicious. I loved (still do) dreamsicles too. No ice cream truck in my southern va backwater (ha ha) either, but a dreamsicle could be had if I had the fortune to be allowed to walk to the little general store on the corner of our road. My favorite ice cream though, was my dad's pineapple ice cream, hand churned on our back steps. :)